To enhance riding comfort and to increase rider safety, in addition to suspension forks bicycle frames are also provided with suspension-mounted and damped rear end assemblies. By various frame designs, impacts resulting from uneven areas on the roadway are compensated for by dynamics of the rear end and front end which are largely independent of one another.
In addition to the increased comfort, the suspension of the rear end also entails numerous problems. The overall bicycle basically loses rigidity on account of separating the rear assembly from the frame. As a result, compared to nonsuspension-mounted frames, full suspension-mounted frames often have higher weight and require more maintenance, for example on the rear damping element and its control system. In addition, the motion of the rear end during contraction and extension affects the drive of the bicycle. The manufacturers of suspension elements have attempted to address these problems through a series of design measures.